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Period: 618 to 1279
Tang and Song dynasties
The Tang dynasty began in 618CE and ended in 907CE. It ushered in nearly 300 years of expansion, prosperity, and innovation for China. The Song dynasty existed between 960 and 1279 CE. this dynasty brought a period of stability. In 1279, this period ended when the Mongols invaded China and overthrew the Song dynasty. These two dynasties create what is called "China's golden Age." This was when paper money was used, tea drinking, and the invention of gunpowder, compass, and printing. -
Period: 750 to 1517
Abbasid caliphate
The Abbasid caliphate had two major periods. The first lasted from 750-1258CE. During this period, the Abbasids controlled a vast territory and created a culture known as the Golden Age of Islam. In 1258, the city of Baghdad was sacked by the Mongols, causing the Abbasids to go to Egypt. From 1261-1517, the caliphate was located in Cairo, Egypt. While they were still considered the religious leaders of Islam, the Mamluks held the true political and military power. -
Period: 900 to 1400
Feudalism in Europe
Feudalism was a system in which a peasant/worker called a vassal received a piece of land in return for serving a lord or king. This system was invented in the 8th century, but wasn't used in Europe until the 10th century. This system was used after the fall of the Roman empire in 476. The king was at the top of the hierarchy. below him were the Barons/Nobles, who leased land from the king. Below them were the Knights, who protected the Baron's family. The peasants were at the bottom. -
Period: 1206 to 1526
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi sultanate refers to the five short-lived Muslim kingdoms of Turkic and Pashtun (Afghan) origin that ruled the territory of Delhi between 1206 and 1526 CE. In the 16th century, the last of their line was overthrown by the Mughals, who established the the Mughal Empire in India. The five dynasties were the Mamluk, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Afghand Lodi dynasty. -
Period: 1206 to 1368
Mongol Empire
It starts with Genghis Khan, who lived from 1162-1227. The mongols were pastoral nomads who moved seasonally. They did have a mix of animism, ancestor worship, and shamanism, w/o any religious texts. From 1195-1205, Genghis expanded the Mongol empire through a mix of diplomacy, warfare, and fear. His grandson Kublai Khan, attacked the Song dynasty in 1279. This ends the Song dynasty. The empire split into 4 khanates. All three western khanates fought each other. The Ming took over China in 1368. -
Period: 1230 to 1468
Mali empire
In 1235, Sundiata Keita defeats Sumanguru, the king of Sosso, and establishes independence for the Malinke. In 1240, Sundiata Keita conquers the Ghana empire and founds the Mali empire. Mansa Musa I famously visits Cairo and spends an enormous quantity of gold. In 1352, Ibn Battuta visits the Mali empire, including Timbuktu. While he's there, he documents his findings. In 1468, King Sunni Ali of the Songhai Empire conquers most of the Mali Empire, thus ending it. -
Period: 1279 to 1368
Yuan dynasty
The yuan dynasty was set up by Kublai Khan,Genghis Khan's grandson. The empire was created after Kublai Khan defeated the Song in 1279. In the Yuan dynasty, mongols always had an advantage over the chinese people due to the mongols being in a higher rank than the chinese. The civil service exam was also dropped. Kublai tried several times to invade Japan, but was never successful. This empire collapsed due to rebellion, inflation, famine, and unusual changes in the weather. -
Period: 1299 to
Ottoman empire
This was one of the longest lasting lasting dynasties ever. It ruled over parts of Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa for more than 600 years. The Sultan (leader) was given absolute political and religious authority over his people. They were known for their achievements in art, science and medicine. The empire was mostly Muslim, but were tolerant of other religions. The empire ended due to losing key regions of land, lack of industrialization, poor leadership, and WWI. -
Period: 1300 to
European rennaisance
This was a period of cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth”. Some of the greatest thinkers, artists, and scientists thrived during this era. At the same time, global exploration opened up new lands and cultures to European commerce. The Renaissance is credited for closing the gap between the Middle ages and Modern civilization. This period had the a lasting impact on society by encouraging people to invent and discover new ideas, which led to advancements in technology and ideas. -
Period: 1345 to 1521
Aztec Empire
The Aztec empire was founded in 1345 after three city-states-Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopan- formed an alliance. Afterwards, they began taking over other land and the tributes from the conquered tribes were divided between the three cities as war spoils. This empire always had to deal with rebellions, but they were always swiftly crushed. After the Spanish invaded, the rebelling groups saw the opportunity to seize independence. The Aztec empire soon fell in 1521 CE due to Spanish invasion. -
Period: 1346 to 1353
Bubonic plague
The Bubonic plague lasted from 1346-1353 and killed somewhere between 75 and 200 million people in Europe. It originated in China and spread along trade routes, and eventually reached Europe. The disease spread through infected rodent bites or from person to person. It is thought that the plague ended due to the implementation of quarantines and improvements in personal hygiene. From this plague, we can learn about how to guard against xenophobia and persecution during outbreaks of disease. -
Period: 1368 to
Ming Dynasty
The Ming was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty. It was founded by rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang. The Ming constructed a vast navy and standing army of one million troops. It is known as a period of stable, effective government. It's the most secure and unchallenged ruling house that China had known up until that time. The civil service exam dominated the government to an unprecedented degree. It fell due to famine, disease, and getting invaded. -
Period: 1400 to
Age of exploration
This age involved European explorers sailing across the ocean to discover new lands. This period occurred during the Renaissance, a period of new ideas and technologies. Europeans were seeking new trade routes to Asia. Several countries sent ships to sail across the ocean to find these new routes. navigation improvements also played a role in starting this era. The result of this was that the Americas were colonized and therefore traded w/ the Europeans. This made the world more interconnected. -
Period: 1438 to 1533
Inca empire
In 1100, the Inca establish their capital-Cuzco-in the Cuzco valley. In 1425, Viracocha Inca, the ruler at the time, starts building the Inca empire. In 1450, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui creates Machu Picchu in the Andes. Inca Tupac Yupanqui doubles the size of the empire between 1471 and 1493 CE. Form 1493 to 1526 CE, Huayna Capac is leader and constructs fortresses, religious temples and roads throughout the empire. The Inca were defeated by the Spanish in 1533, disestablishing the empire. -
Period: 1492 to
Spanish Colonial Empire
From the late 15th to 19th centuries, Spain controlled a huge territory in the New World, Philippines, and small parts of Europe, Africa, and Oceania. It was named "the empire on which the sun never sets." Under the Spanish Bourbon monarchs the empire was brought under greater crown control and increased its revenues from the Indies. The spanish led many sieges and conquests to obtain such a vast empire. At its peak, it was the 4th largest empire by land area (largest being the British empire). -
Period: 1502 to
Atlantic slave trade
From the mid 15th to late 19th centuries, Europe would begin shiping slaves from Africa to their colonies. At first, it only supplemented a trade that had already existed in Europe, in which Europeans enslaved each other. Some African slaves had already reached Europe, the Middle East, etc. The slaves were packed into boats and most didn't survive the journey. This was due to the Europeans believing that they were better than the Africans. This trade changed the demographic of all nations in it. -
Period: 1510 to
Portuguese Trading post empire
This was the first maritime trading-post empire. They wanted to control trade routes by forcing merchant vessels to call at fortified trading sites and pay duties there. In the mid- sixteenth century the Portuguese had built more than fifty trading posts between west Africa and east Asia. Other nations followed Portugal in making trading-post empires, like the UK and Denmark. Portugal's maritime empire lasted until 1961. This empire paved the way for other maritime empires to come later. -
Period: 1517 to
The Protestant Reformation
This was a series of events that happened in the late 16th century in the Catholic church. Due to the church's corruption, people felt the need for a change. The start of the reformation caused a Catholic counter-reformation. The reformation had many causes, like the clergy's abuse and neglect of the people's needs. Once people read the bible in their own language, they could see how the Church corrupted the faith. The end of the Reformation was marked by the creation of the Protestant religion. -
Period: 1526 to
The Mughal Empire
It ruled over most of India and Pakistan in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Mughal empire spread Islam in South Asia and Muslim arts, culture and faith. Most of the citizens were Muslim w/ a Hindu minority. The last Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb, ended the religious tolerance followed by other rulers and imposed Sharia law over the Hindus. During his rule, the empire reached its peak military power, but the rule was unstable. This, along with being conquered by Europeans caused the empire to end. -
Period: to
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate united its people and centralized its gov't. Beforehand, Japan suffered the chaos of the Sengoku period. America was given access to three Japanese port cities. the arrival of new ideas marked the start of the end for the shogunate. Rebels modernized and became more successful than the Tokugawa. The Meiji restoration abolished the shogunate. Under emperor Meiji's rule, Japan modernized even more. This caused Japan to become a superpower in under 50 years. -
Period: to
Qing dynasty
This dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in China and lasted from 1644 to 1912. In 1616, Manchurian forces bested the Ming army and took several cities on China's northern border. An invasion followed. The Ming were defeated and the Qing dynasty was established in 1644. The Opium wars were fought during the reign of the Qing dynasty. This dynasty fell due to the Taiping rebellion (1850-64), the influence of Empress Cixi, and the Boxer rebellion (1899-1901). -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
This was an intellectual movement in Europe in which ideas about religion, reason, nature, and humanity were altered/created. This caused revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics. Some of the ideas that were created during this time were democracy, communism, freedom, and that every natural event had a scientific explanation. The Enlightenment ideas would cause many revolutions across the globe. It also paved the way for the ideas that shape our modern society. -
Period: to
Industrial revolution
This was the transition from manual to mechanized labor in Europe and the US.The factories were steam or water powered.Textiles were the dominant industry of this era.The Industrial revolution happened due to technological advancements.Almost all aspects of life were altered due to this revolution.Average income, standard of living, and birth rates all increased.Infrastructure also improved rapidly for industrialised nations. This forever changed how people lived and worked for the better. -
Period: to
American revolution
It happened due to growing tensions between the 13 colonies and the British gov't (colonists had no representation). Violence between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 started the conflict. By next summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their freedom. France entered on the colonists side in 1778. After the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, America was officially independent, but fighting wouldn't stop until 1783. -
Period: to
French revolution
This revolution was caused due to the Enlightenment ideas of freedom and democracy. This caused the French people to reject the monarchy and feudalism. It was also due to the bad economic choices made by King Louis XVI. They were also inspired by the American revolution. On August 4, the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It was a statement of democratic principles based on Enlightenment Ideas. This revolution would inspire other revolutions to come later. -
Period: to
Haitian revolution
It happened due to the white people being heavily restricted by the French gov't and slaves wanting freedom.They were inspired by the French revolution.Toussaint l’Overture led the slaves to rebel against the whites.Jean-Jacques Dessalines, one of l’Overture’s generals and a former slave, led the revolutionaries at the Battle of Vertieres in 1803 where the French forces were defeated. In 1804, the nation was declared independent.It was the most successful slave revolt in history. -
Period: to
Tanzimat reforms
These were a series of economic, political, and educational changes that the Ottoman empire put in place to try to stop their declining power. These reforms included modernization. They did this by adopting western ideas. Starting in the mid-1750s, Ottomans power declined, and they could not compete militarily with Russian and the Hapsburg Empire. These reforms were only partially successful and didn't stop their power from declining. Many Ottomans didn't reap any benefits from the reforms. -
Period: to
Opium wars
These were two conflicts between the British and Qing.The 1st one was China's attempt to slow the Opium trade w/ Britain.In 1839, Britain blockaded the Pearl River estuary at Hong Kong.An expeditionary force was sent to Hong Kong in 1840, but they fought in 1841.It ended when Britain took Nanjing. In 1856, A British ship was docked in Canton.Chinese officials on board were arrested & lowered the British flag.Trade ended during the war.British & French troops took Beijing in 1859, ending the war. -
Period: to
Taiping rebellion
It was a revolt against the Qing dynasty over regional economic conditions. The Taiping forces were run as a cult-like group called the God Worshipping Society by self-proclaimed prophet Hong Xiuquan. In 1837, he came home complaining about illness. After waking up from his fever dream, he believed that he was the son of god. His message began to spread, creating the God Worshipping society. God Worshippers and Qing forces fought in 1851. They took the city of Nanjing, but the rebellion failed. -
Period: to
Sepoy mutiny
It was a violent uprising against British rule in India. Native soldiers (sepoys) were used to maintain order and defend trading centers. A new rifle cartridge caused most of the trouble. The cartridges were wrapped in paper and coated in grease. Rumors spread that the grease was from cows and pigs, which would've offended the Muslims and Hindus. Once the sepoy found out, the rebellion started. In 1858, the UK kept control, but the East India Comp. was disbanded. -
Period: to
Meiji restoration
This period ended the Tokugawa shogunate and started in 1868. It was identified as the era of major political, social, and economic change for Japan.The restoration leaders were mostly young samurai from feudal domains historically hostile to Tokugawa authority. They were motivated by domestic problems and by the threat of foreign encroachment. The feudal system was completely abolished and the nation began modernizing rapidly.This rapid modernization led to Japan becoming a world superpower. -
Period: to
Scramble for Africa
European explorers began mapping Africa in the 19th century. It was revealed that Africa had raw materials that could fuel the Industrial Revolution. When one European power claimed land, the others didn't want to miss out. In 1884-85 the Scramble for Africa began. 13 European countries and the US met in Berlin to divide up Africa. They didn't consider the tribes already there, however.This caused many conflicts in the new territories.Conflicts continued after the territories became independent. -
Period: to
Berlin conference
It regulated European colonization and trade in Africa. Otto von Bismarck called in 13 European countries and the US to discuss how they could divide Africa. They didn't consider the native tribes already there. This caused conflicts in the newly formed territories, even after Africa became independent. 90% of Africa was under European control by 1902. The European powers took natural resources from Africa and left almost nothing behind. This is the main reason that Africa is impoverished today.